Russ Ballard & his All Star Band

Russ Ballard is playing the Jim Marshall Auditorium in Milton Keynes on Sunday 17 January 2027, with his All Star Band. He's touring behind Songs From The Warehouse, a double CD he released recently, and the set will draw from that alongside his older material.

Ballard has spent decades as a songwriter for other people as much as for himself. He wrote 'The Lost City' for The Shadows when he was only 14, and from there he worked closely with drummer Bob Henrit. The two played in Adam Faith's backing band, The Roulettes, where they helped discover Sandie Shaw; Henrit later joined Unit 4 + 2, best known for the number-one hit 'Concrete & Clay'. Ballard himself was then poached to join Rod Argent's post-Zombies band, Argent, as vocalist and lead guitarist. He wrote 'Hold Your Head Up' and 'God Gave Rock And Roll To You', both of which became hits for the group.

After that, he moved into a solo and songwriting career that reached far beyond his own records. He released albums like Voices and In The Night — the latter featured in Miami Vice — and wrote songs for Roger Daltrey, Leo Sayer, Elkie Brooks, America, and Agnetha and Frida of ABBA. The 2027 tour follows the release of Songs From The Warehouse, so the set will pull from that double album as well as the songs he's known for.

On stage, he's backed by his All Star Band: Paul Bond on lead guitar, P.J. Phillips on bass, John Miller on drums, and Marc Rapson as musical director and on keyboards. The concert starts at 8:00pm, and tickets are £24 including the booking fee.